Early Education Memory
Madeline Mucci
Professor Fogleman
Due September 12, 2014
When people consider who they are and what influenced them to come to be that way, very few consider early education to play much of a role in maturing and forming personality. But I think as students, most of our time is spent in school or on work outside of school. This means that even as children, although we easily forget, our lives still revolved around school, our teachers, and the friends we made along the way.
Personally, I have always been creative. Art and my uniquely inquisitive nature are a huge part of who I am, and although I do believe I was born with this personality, there have been many people and experiences that have influenced me along the way. My first big supporter was my elementary school art teacher, Mr. Wade. While we usually just had free draw time in class, he noticed that my passion and talent for art made me stand out from other students.
In first grade he entered me in an art show at Western Connecticut State University for a portrait I had drawn of my best friend Natalie. At this point in my life I wasn't quite confident or exceptionally proud of my work, but I loved doing it and naturally assumed that was as far as I could get with my feelings for art. But when I was at the gallery surrounded by other elementary school students (mostly older than I was), and saw my portrait up on a wall with my name and signature next to it, it was as if something clicked within me and I felt good- really good. So far in life I had never excelled at anything. I played soccer but it was just for fun to me, and I didn't necessarily feel bad about myself; I just hadn't felt particularly good about anything yet. But this art show was what sparked my passion and pride in my art and what I am able to take from my mind and create. This is a skill and love that I hold more dear than any other.
I had Mr. Wade for about three years in elementary school before he left to work at another school, but I coincidentally passed him in the hallway the first day of my freshman year of high school. After not seeing one of my favorite people and role models for about six years, I was astounded and thrilled when he looked at me and without missing a beat said "hello, Miss Mucci! Great to see you again." It meant so much to me that he remembered me so easily, and I'll never forget that or everything he did for my growth and esteem in elementary school.
Since becoming artistically inclined in elementary school, I have expanded to explore art in every media, including working with pastels, watercolors, and my two favorites: clay and colored pencils. I enjoy working with colored pencils because I focus on working with colors and shading/gradients more than I do with concrete shapes. Clay I would say is my favorite medium, as I developed a passion for ceramics my sophomore year of high school. It was my ceramics class that made me explore other art classes in my incredibly academically diverse high school, and I enrolled in a digital arts class my senior year. When I got my senior year schedule in the mail the summer before, I scanned down the list of my teachers and classes and my heart actually stopped when I arrived at my Digital Arts class. Under the teacher column was the name "Wade, Randy." I would have my favorite teacher of all time again my senior year, meaning in my life I have been able to start and end my primary and secondary education with the same teacher of my favorite subject. It was seriously a privilege to work with Mr. Wade again, as he taught me how to mirror the brush strokes of my favorite painter, Van Gogh, on a computer program. This was a different experience with him than I had had in elementary school since I am now much more mature, independent, and confident. But we still got along extremely well and even shared music with each other after class. Even just being in the presence of someone who had affected me and influenced me so much in elementary school was fantastically satisfying, and was a lovely way to close out my years of K-12 schooling.
I may have learned only the basics of elementary art from Mr. Wade, but he is the inspiration I have used to implement art into every aspect of my life: the way I dress, the different genres of music I listen to, my taste in interior design, the way I look at nature and the people around me, and the way I look at life in general. When the going gets tough, I get elbow-deep in clay to relieve my stress, and I have him to thank for that.
Madeline Mucci
Professor Fogleman
Due September 12, 2014
When people consider who they are and what influenced them to come to be that way, very few consider early education to play much of a role in maturing and forming personality. But I think as students, most of our time is spent in school or on work outside of school. This means that even as children, although we easily forget, our lives still revolved around school, our teachers, and the friends we made along the way.
Personally, I have always been creative. Art and my uniquely inquisitive nature are a huge part of who I am, and although I do believe I was born with this personality, there have been many people and experiences that have influenced me along the way. My first big supporter was my elementary school art teacher, Mr. Wade. While we usually just had free draw time in class, he noticed that my passion and talent for art made me stand out from other students.
In first grade he entered me in an art show at Western Connecticut State University for a portrait I had drawn of my best friend Natalie. At this point in my life I wasn't quite confident or exceptionally proud of my work, but I loved doing it and naturally assumed that was as far as I could get with my feelings for art. But when I was at the gallery surrounded by other elementary school students (mostly older than I was), and saw my portrait up on a wall with my name and signature next to it, it was as if something clicked within me and I felt good- really good. So far in life I had never excelled at anything. I played soccer but it was just for fun to me, and I didn't necessarily feel bad about myself; I just hadn't felt particularly good about anything yet. But this art show was what sparked my passion and pride in my art and what I am able to take from my mind and create. This is a skill and love that I hold more dear than any other.
I had Mr. Wade for about three years in elementary school before he left to work at another school, but I coincidentally passed him in the hallway the first day of my freshman year of high school. After not seeing one of my favorite people and role models for about six years, I was astounded and thrilled when he looked at me and without missing a beat said "hello, Miss Mucci! Great to see you again." It meant so much to me that he remembered me so easily, and I'll never forget that or everything he did for my growth and esteem in elementary school.
Since becoming artistically inclined in elementary school, I have expanded to explore art in every media, including working with pastels, watercolors, and my two favorites: clay and colored pencils. I enjoy working with colored pencils because I focus on working with colors and shading/gradients more than I do with concrete shapes. Clay I would say is my favorite medium, as I developed a passion for ceramics my sophomore year of high school. It was my ceramics class that made me explore other art classes in my incredibly academically diverse high school, and I enrolled in a digital arts class my senior year. When I got my senior year schedule in the mail the summer before, I scanned down the list of my teachers and classes and my heart actually stopped when I arrived at my Digital Arts class. Under the teacher column was the name "Wade, Randy." I would have my favorite teacher of all time again my senior year, meaning in my life I have been able to start and end my primary and secondary education with the same teacher of my favorite subject. It was seriously a privilege to work with Mr. Wade again, as he taught me how to mirror the brush strokes of my favorite painter, Van Gogh, on a computer program. This was a different experience with him than I had had in elementary school since I am now much more mature, independent, and confident. But we still got along extremely well and even shared music with each other after class. Even just being in the presence of someone who had affected me and influenced me so much in elementary school was fantastically satisfying, and was a lovely way to close out my years of K-12 schooling.
I may have learned only the basics of elementary art from Mr. Wade, but he is the inspiration I have used to implement art into every aspect of my life: the way I dress, the different genres of music I listen to, my taste in interior design, the way I look at nature and the people around me, and the way I look at life in general. When the going gets tough, I get elbow-deep in clay to relieve my stress, and I have him to thank for that.